EU must prioritise cooling and heating

The EHPA has called for the decarbonisation of cooling and heating technologies to be given top priority following EU agreements to increase renewable energy use.

Heating and cooling were among the sectors identified for special attention in new energy efficiency and renewable regulations agreed by the EU. The agreements are designed to ensure that the EU’s objectives, especially the 2030 energy and climate targets – reduction of 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, a minimum of 32 % renewables in the EU energy mix and the 32.5 % goal of energy efficiency savings – are achieved.

Applauding yesterday’s agreements on the Energy Efficiency Directive and Energy Union Governance Regulation, European Heat Pump Association secretary general Thomas Nowak said: “The agreements reached on energy files in the last hours have set the foundation for a new EU energy framework (32.5% EE/ 32% RES in 2030) to be reviewed in 2023.

“Most important is the agreement to reaching net-zero emissions as soon as possible, hopefully even before 2050. This makes the deployment of renewable and efficient thermal technologies essential. The industry is ready to face the challenge of faster growth in the coming years,” he said.

Nowak called for the decarbonisation of heating and cooling technologies to be given the highest priority. “We need to prioritise action with the highest impact. Decarbonising the EU is not possible without decarbonising the heating and cooling sector that is covering half of Europe’s energy needs. We, therefore, urge EU and national policy makers to be more vocal on heating and cooling in their upcoming policy work.”